CN or CTI

Hello,
We are having a hard time deciding between CN and CTI. I really like all of the inclusions that CTI has to offer, and heard a lot of great things about the other tours on the Ocho side; i.e. Chukka Canopy Tours with the zip-lining, etc. But then I really like the fact that CN has a bigger beach. Our friends that have been to Negril have really enjoyed that side of Jamaica. I'm torn! It is going to cost more to go to CN vs CTI, so do I go with CTI because of this fact and it having more to offer on that side? Or do I choose CN because it seems that more people have more things to say about CN...and it having a better beach? It seems like CTI isn't talked about much.

Has anyone done zip-lining tours on the Negril side? If yes, is it comparable to the Ocho side?

This is our first trip so I'm wanting to make sure that we are making the right choice. Thanks for any insight.

My wife and I love the beaches in Negril. We have been to both sides and While we love them both we will probably always stay in negril. We are going to be at CN April, 29th through May 5th.
We never leave the resort so much to do without having to leave

We have been to CN 3 times, and the only touristy site that is not available on the Negril side is Dunn's, but there are 2 other falls areas available close to Negril. Nobody that has been to both would ever say that the OR side has more to do than the Negril side, because that's not true. Plus, on the Negril side, you get the best sunsets, the West End cliffs, better beaches, calmer waters, and the most laid back vibe in Jamaica. (all of Jamaica is laid back, but Negril is known for this). Also, at CN and CSA, you get to interact with locals and vendors on the beach, if you choose, which is one of the best parts of the island.

As for excursions, from Negril, we have done the Black River Safari, YS Falls, Appleton Estate, Sunset Bar Shuttle (to Pushcart on the cliffs), Cosmo's Restaurant, and on this last trip, we did the Chukka Jungle Canopy Zipline tour at the Montpelier Outpost. This zipline was a total of 9 traverses with the longest being a quarter-mile long. You can also add river tubing and kayaking to this tour if you choose. There are also atv tours, horseback riding, dolphin cove, etc available in the Negril area.

Pick whichever one calls to you, but if you do choose Negril, you will definitely not feel like there is any less to do than in OR. In fact, you may actually find there is more to do. The most important thing is to pick one, stick with it and when you get to Jamaica, hurry up and slow down. It will go by way too fast. Enjoy!

(As an added note, with SCUBA, snorkeling, cat cruise, and all of the other activities that are not usually included at other all-inclusives, you will be surprised at how much there is to do, even if you choose not to leave the resort.)

We also faced that choice the first visit to Couples and decided to go to CTI, but after visiting CN it will be our choice from now on. The difference in the beach is our main reason, CTI was nice and has the island but Bloody Bay is what we love. We did zip-lining and Dunns River Falls over there, but when we were at CN this past December we only left the resort once and both thought we wasted our time............going back to CN in this July

Thr resort offers so much to do on a daily basis. They have all kinds of fun activities. They also have the boat rides and all the water sports. Most of all we just love to relax and thats exactly what we do. CN has local vendors that come to the beach which is awesome. Love to take walks along the beach which you cant do at CTI. CN just feels like home to us. We did Dunns River a few years ago ang it was cool but I fely like we wasted a day. We had more fun hanging by the swin up bar and meeting different people.

Hi, I am the other half of djl6533. We like to relax mostly but you should check out the activities schedule for CN. So many fun, different types of things to do at the resort. We also scheduled a couples massage in the treehouse that was FABULOUS. Funny thing is that most times when we planned to attend a scheduled activity, we were just like, 'Nah, I don't feel like getting up, let's just stay here' whether it was the pool, the beach, the bar, the room. The beauty of it is, you don't HAVE to do anything you don't want to do. Except leave :-(

We did a CN/CTI split and whereas the beach at bloody bay is nice...it seemed a little too far away to see from everywhere especially the restaurants and then I finally realized what was really the big difference... CNs bay is just too quite...I love the sound of the waves. But everyone has a favorite and it will still be an awesome trip...CTI July 2012

You are spending a lot of money for this trip and personally I wouldn't choose a resort based on excursions. While Dunn's river was ok, I wouldn't do it again. There are many excursions on the Negril side if that's what you want but all the resorts have much to do so choose the one that fits your budget and calls to you. I won't stay anywhere else but CSA now and Negril. Good luck

From a few of your posts, it sounds like you want a bit more action and not to lay out on the beach all day...kinda like us. Not that we don't love the beach..we totally do. And that is why CN was our deal breaker for picking it over CTI or any of the other resorts. The beach at CN is amazing. We aren't the lay out all day kind of people so I feel we can answer your question...

"Can I ask what you do differently for fun for 7 days without leaving the resort? Or maybe you just like to relax for your whole trip. Just wondering. :-)

We are the kind of people that don't stay put too long. We get restless and tend to want to "do" stuff. You can most definitely stay on the resort for 7 days and not just relax. You don't have to do all the extra paid excursions. Couples offers so many free things to do. We kayak every day. It's seriously a special experience. We also do the snorkeling trips they offer, Cat Cruise (only once usually), take a lot of walks on the beach. One year we made it a day thing, packed some food and walked into Negril. We hit CSA first, thinking we could get a quick drink but they wouldn't let us...oh well, but we hit a lot of the cool spots along the way. (We did end up getting a taxi back though). But, along the way you can shop (beach vendors), take lots of breaks...we found some quaint little places to stop and swim all by ourselves...so romantic..
We aren't pool people, so I can't tell you much about the pool. We did go in in once last year just to say we went in. (We figure...we are at the ocean, who needs a pool.)

Also, the first year we went to Couples we got totally sucked into the resort and didn't leave for 5 days. It's very easy to do. The whole vibe is different, very relaxed and everything is taken care of. So, it does feel like home..gets comfy and you tend not to want to leave. But, once you do...you'll be like, why didn't we leave the resort sooner. At CN you are in one of Jamaica's coolest cities. You don't get that at CTI. Negril is an awesome place to be. Very very cool town. I'd pick CN or CSA any day just because they are in Negril.

You are very close to Rick's if you are into that sort of thing. You can cliff jump and the Couples van will take you there for free. Plus, the cliffs are a must see since they are so beautiful themselves.